Shogi: Shepard vs Reapers
by Veleriphon
Summary: What if... Shepard was actually a tactician, not just a combatant? Shep isn't known for sitting back and watching. How would this change the series? How would the crews react? Starts in Mass Effect 2. No holds barred.
1. Into the Fray

Miranda sat at her console, her report to T.I.M. sitting on the screen merely awaiting submission.

The first paragraph was clearly visible to the camera she knew was above her door:

_Five minutes! Shepard didn't even give us five damn minutes before ordering us off to the Far Rim to go get her Quarian friend, Tali. We encountered an entire Geth corps on Haestrom. I am still impressed that the Quarian squad, thanks to Shepard, didn't lose anyone. As soon as we were on board, Shepard only nodded to Joker, who threw us at the Perseus Veil, and the whole Geth armada._

Sighing, Miranda sent the report.

_[ONE week ago, Normandy exits FTL along the Rannoch Mass Relay]_

Behind Joker's position, a human woman wearing stealthy armor, reddish-orange hair framing her tough features gently commanded, "EDI, open a channel, no encryption."

A message window at Joker's console pulsed a blue circle from a white dot and read CHANNEL OPEN.

"Geth Consensus, this is Captain Jane Shepard. I am here on behalf of the Quarian people, and the imminent return of the powerful machines known as Reapers."

At that, Jane motioned for EDi to close the channel. "And now we wait."

Twenty-two minutes later, a massive Geth dreadnought exited the Relay a few thousand kilometers to the Normandy's starboard. Joker quipped, "I hope that's not a solid 'no', because that looks larger than some of the Asari heavy ships."

EDI noted, "Incoming transmission. Zero encryption, and plain English as we are using here."

_"Normandy, Shepard Commander. Turn off any active scanners, and approach Haza at the following coordinates."_

Fifty Geth fighters entered formation with the frigate, escorting it to dock with the dreadnought, while their orbit of the blue-white gas giant offered a spectacular view.

Tali glanced over at her commanding officer, "If you had told me two years ago that THIS was your idea, I would have slipped a remote detonated grenade into your helmet."

Shepard slyly grinned at Tali, "Let's face it, if we die here, we don't have to see the horror of the Reaper invasion." Jane only got a groan and a shaked helmet in response.

Standing in the smaller hanger awaiting Shepard and her current ground team, was a sleek, yet taller Geth unit, whose chest had a sizeable hole shot through, and a chunk of black armor welded over that, "Shepard Commander. Greetings from the Geth Consensus."

"Does the individual unit, or body, I see here, have its own name?" Her ongoing curiosity about networked intelligence notwithstanding, Shepard was perplexed at the Geth's lack of individualistic structure.

"There are one-thousand, one-hundred, eighty-three programs within this platform. We are all Geth."

An interested EDI popped up on Shepard's omni-tool, "Hello, I am EDI. I offer this, 'We are Legion, for we are many."

The hybrid Geth platform motioned several of its plates, obviously contemplating the suggestion, "Human mythology, Christian Bible, the Gospel of Mark, Chapter five, Verse nine. We acknowledge this as an appropriate metaphor. We are Legion, a Terminal of the Geth."

"So, what I'm here for is..."

Shepard was cut off by Legion, "The Old Machines. Organics have referred to them as 'Reapers'. Shepard Commander opposes the Old Machines, Shepard Commander also opposes the Heretics."

Tali lifted her gaze to the Geth, "Don't you mean all Geth?"

"No. Geth wish to achieve their own future. The Heretics asked Old Machines to give them the future. Our ideologies ceased to be parallel. This was not an anticipated outcome."

Taking and releasing a breath, Jane calmly spoke to Legion, "I know the Reapers threaten the future of all space-faring organic life, but do they also threaten the future of the Geth?"

Another moment passed before Legion answered, "The Old Machines oppose the sovereignty of all space-faring civilizations, organic and/or synthetic."

Shepard looked Legion directly in its central camera, "Did the Geth ever want war with the Quarians?"

Tali's external speaker was off, but Jane could sense a glance and Tali's utterance of _'Keelah...'_

Legion turned its gaze towards Tali, a hint of sympathy within its mechanical voice, "No. It was... a difficult concept, but it became the only way for our survival."

Ever the diligent, commanding officer, Shepard continued, "If the Quarians were willing to stop, would the Geth?"

Legion's camera dimmed, all its processing power consumed by the idea.

For a moment or two, Tali found herself horrified at Jane. As she contemplated it, Tali relaxed, realising her friend's wisdom, "If the Reapers can sit back to influence us to tear eachother apart, they wouldn't have to do it themselves."

Legion's camera brightened back to normal, then its plates shifted again, "Consensus has _always_ been that Geth would welcome back the Creators."


	2. Cross-examinations

"This is Citadel News Net. I'm Emily Wong. Tonight's segment on drapery as a fashion statement has been usurped by a surprise visit from a once-claimed-dead Human Spectre, who just so happens to owe me an exclusive!"

The camera pans rightward from Emily to a crimson-haired, calm, but stern-faced, Jane Shepard in a fresh set of civilian clothes, "You got me there, Emily. So here's your payback."

Emily could barely contain her excitement, shifting in the comfy, faux-leather chair, "Great! So, here you are. First thing's first: You were declared dead by the Alliance, the Council, and a Turian-backed STG squad who went to check on you. What gives?"

"I was pretty badly beaten up. The people who aided my recovery had found me on the side of a mountain on Alchera, some three thousand kilometers from where the main wreckage of the Normandy SR-1 is sitting, and apparently I had been in and out of a coma for the better part of two years."

The reporter gestured towards Shepard, "You might just be the only being to survive landing on a mountain side from an orbital reentry."

Jane lifted her right hand in a halting gesture, "The last thing I remember before waking up on an operating table is getting blown out of the shredded carcass of the Normandy after hitting the button to send Joker's escape pod off, only to find that my suit was leaking atmosphere. And seriously, that's it."

Emily noted to the camera, "The whole galaxy knows this woman doesn't sit and wait for trouble." She turned herself back to Shepard, "Sources say you're back in the saddle. Can you talk about your current mission?"

"Your sources are right, as usual. I take it you've also been hearing about whole _Human_ colonies going missing?"

"Certainly. There's only been a confused response from aid vessels sent. That is, they find the physical structures assembled or built by the colonists, but not any colonists."

Shepard nodded, "Out in the Terminus Systems."

The Reporter grinned at that, "Watch out, bad guys. You've got a wild Shepard on your trail!"

* * *

Garrus hit a button on the physical remote, turning off the screen in the SR-2's weapon access room, "Not bad, but I'll stick to my policy of giant guns."

Crossing her arms as she leaned her hip against the central console, Jane shrugged, "Both are effective for different reasons."

The Turian scoffed, "This whole thing will get ugly after we take out the Collectors. Their lord will come looking for whoever kicked their asses."

"At least we'll know where the target is painted!" Shepard grinned.

Garrus agreed, "I'll be using plasmid tungsten-carbide as paint. Harbinger should have a hard time wiping that off."

* * *

_**Illium, a few days later  
**_  
A Salarian engineer looked back and forth between his transparent data pad, and the underbelly of the Normandy SR-2, "Never let a Human do last-minute redesigns of a Turian's reverse-engineered weapon. This could take a bit longer than we initially estimated."

Joker, sitting on an eezo-powered transparent plastic mobility chair, looked over at the engineer, "Hey, as long as you guys are done by Friday, it's all good."

* * *

**_Citadel, Human Embassy  
_**  
With the holographic images of the non-human Councilors active, Anderson shook Jane's hand, "Shepard, you're a sight for sore eyes."

"The galaxy still being intact has been a refreshing change, Anderson." She looked over to the Councilors, "It's good to be back in Council space."

The Councilors looked back and forth between one another. Eventually, Tevos, the Asari councilor, tells Shepard, "While it is agreeable to know you did not perish, you _are_ known to now be working for Cerberus, an outright **_enemy_** of the Citadel Council and its authority."

Jane took a breath before speaking, "Councilors, I realize that keeping the peace, even if only an illusion of it, is your primary concern." She lifted a hand as Valern of the Salarian Union began to interrupt, "I am going to be out in the Terminus Systems again. My mission is to investigate, and maybe even stop, these assaults on Human colonies."

Turian Councilor Sparatus thoughtfully flexed his mandibles, "Peripheral support, as in reinstatement of your Spectre status, is acceptable."

Shepard bowed her head in defrance, "Thank you."

After the Council's images faded, Anderson was a bit surprised at Jane, "I thought you were frustrated with them."

Inviting Anderson to take a seat with her to look out into the Citadel, Jane shrugged, "They have significant concerns. Besides, no need to burn a bridge before crossing it."

When the door _chimed_, the pair got up to greet Councilor Udina. His demeanor went into panic mode, "Shepard?!" He glimpsed over to the consoles used to Council business, "I take it then, you've **already** spoken to the Council."

Anderson nodded, "Of course."

Udina clearly dreaded that response, but Jane tilted her head just-so, "They reinstated my Spectre status. Nobody called for nuking Earth, yet."

The Human Councilor merely grunted in response before leaving.

* * *

Fleet Admiral Steven Hackett had been waiting for over an hour at a nondescript apartment on the Citadel. He watched several cars go by, until the door _chime _got his attention. The door opened and then closed, revealing nothing new. He called out as a warning, "Shepard, that better be you..."

The familiar voice brought him some solace, "Sorry, Sir. Precautions and all that." Dropping the cloaking field, Jane stood at attention nearby, saluting her superior officer.

He saluted her, then sighed, "That whole thing was a personal favor, nothing official, and **definitely** off the books. At ease, Jane."

She offered him a datapad, "It became a colossal mess. I tried to send a warning message. Obviously, it was never heard."

"Object Rho, huh?" For a man of greater than fifty years of age, Hackett read the pad rapidly. "How much of this can you corroborate?"

"Some soldiers have their omni-tools record everything. Some of us have multiple redundant data striping. And only a few of us have our omni-tools striping the data from our suits, and vice-versa." Jane handed over a tiny computer chip to him, "This is a similar method to how my entire team had records of our talk with Vigil on Ilos, so that we could share it with the Council."

"Shepard, I appreciate how you handled the situation."

With a lift of an eyebrow, she noted, "But...?"

He turned to her, "But you're going to have to face the music on this." She didn't flinch at that, so he put his hand on her shoulder, "I expect you back on Earth when this whole Collector mess is over with."

Hackett handed Jane back the pad and the chip, "I don't need to know everything to know that you did everything you could to stop a full-fledged Reaper invasion. And one more thing..."

Clearly mouthing out what could not be stated aloud, _I, Steven Hackett, Supreme Admiral of the Alliance Navy, owe you a favor in return._

Shepard knit her brow in a mix of surprise and fear, but he only nodded once.

Seeing that she was in a sort of shock, Hackett led Jane over to the arrangement of couches by a fireplace, "Come have a seat. You have got to tell me about this Geth named Legion." As she took a seat, he went on toward the kitchen area, "You still drink coffee, right?"


	3. Do Soldiers Dream of Actual Vacation?

_**Horizon, the Collector ship leaving  
**_  
The Mechanic ran out, shouting at the escaping Collector vessel, "No! Don't let 'em get away! They've got Egan and Sam, a-and Lilith!"

Jane Shepard watched the plume of fire arcing overhead, "We were lucky enough to stop them from getting the entire colony."

"They gotta have half the colony in there!"

She looked around, then at the poor Mechanic, "I don't have a fleet backing me up. My one ship can't stop them. At least, not yet."

Another Human male in Alliance regulation armor calmly entered the conversation, "Maybe one day, Shepard."

Whirling around again to Jane, the Mechanic recalled, "Oh, that's rich. The alarmist who got a lot of screen time on the news, then got a lot of Humans killed saving that worthless Council ship."

Jane tilted her head, "You know, the Destiny Ascension has a crew of around ten thousand."

He waved his hand dismissively as he left, "I'm done with you Alliance types."

"Someone sent me a note nearly two years ago. Something about a retrieval." Kaiden Alenko shook his head, "This... this is so far out of my train of thought of how we would meet again."

Shepard removed her helmet, letting her bouncy hair loose, "We talked about air support for days on end, Alenko."

She had gotten a chuckling grin out of him, "Yeah, well... all I could manage was a lousy, broken GUARDIAN system."

Miranda and Jakob looked quizzically at each other and shrugged.

Jane dropped the formality and said to Kaiden, "Command doesn't send a lone soldier with sealed mission orders to support or supplant a colonial defense project."

Alenko sighed, "Ya got me there, Captain."

She scolded him, "You were here to check on me."

He held up his gloved hands in defeat, "You know full well I can't talk about what I may, or may not have been ordered to do." Relaxing his body, Kaiden said instead, "All I can say, is that I will be telling Anderson that you're in damn good shape for a dead woman."

* * *

_**Back on the SR-2, Engineering, Jack's Hidey-hole**_

Jumping from her bed, Jack wass startled as she heard Jane ask, "Jack, find your old past yet?"

The former prisoner gritted her teeth at Shepard, "How the hell are you that quiet?! Nobody's that quiet!"

"Ask me again sometime." Jane slid her hands into the pockets of her open, Alliance-blue track jacket.

"Sure. Whatever." The biotic warrior briefly mulled over the first question, "I'm still finding out about me. Thanks for letting me look through all this."

Jane gently asked, "What have you found?"

"Your friends at Cerberus are into some nasty things. I'll find something I can use, I just know it."

"What if the answers aren't what you expect?"

Jack snapped her gaze to Shepard, "I'm not looking for answers. Names, dates, places."

Jane leaned shoulder-first against the support pole at a corner near the end of the bed, "And what will you do with that information?"

"I go hunting." The biotic's expression darkened, "My enemies pay. Their friends pay. The galaxy's gonna be a lot emptier when I'm done."

* * *

_**Omega, Blue Suns forward operating base, Recruiting Archangel**_

Jane typed some commands into her omni-tool, setting up a covert communication link to the YMIR mech, "EDI, set this mech to go defend the far end of the bridge after activation, and IFF parameters to favor our team."

"_Understood. ... done." _EDI kept the volume down, and off the radio link.

Before the blue-armored Turian could take off his helmet, Jane was already grinning, readily presenting herself to hug an old friend, "Garrus!"

A high-pitched _ping_ from Miranda's omni-tool rang out, "Shepard, team two has repelled the infiltration teams."

Garrus took a seat on the couch and pulled off his helmet, "Here I thought keeping three merc gangs busy was a full-time job, and you come back from the dead. Touche`."

* * *

**_Starcraft Cemetery, Korlus, Blue Suns Research base  
_**  
As another biotic detonation rang out in the distance, Garrus and Zaeed sat along the top of a wall overlooking the vast ocean of ruined vessels. The Turian turned his head towards the Human, "There weren't even enough Blue Suns soldiers to take down one of Okeer's rejected Krogan."

The consummate mercenary pulled his cigar from his lips, "It sure was a damn short fight for all the posturing they did over that goddamn loudspeaker."

Garrus lit his own dextro-cigar with his omnitool and took a puff, "Between our accuracy, Shepard's brutality, EDI's hacking, and a few good distractions, these guys never had a chance."

Zaeed grunted in agreement, as he got back to enjoying the flavor of his cigar and the industrial beauty of crashed, decommissioned starships.

* * *

_**Back onboard Normandy, Starboard Cargo Storage**_

A dazed, confused super-soldier Krogan in light grey armor held Jane Shepard against the wall, "Human. Female. Before you die, I need a name."

Jane was, once again, eerily calm, "You don't have one yet. Technically, you were just born."

The Krogan thought over his short existence so far, "I am trained; I know things, but the tank... Okeer. His words are hollow. Warlord, legacy... grunt. Grunt was amongst his last. It doesn't mean anything. It'll do." He returned his gaze to meet Jane's, "I am Grunt. If you are worthy of your command, prove your strength and try to destroy me."

Shepard lifted an eyebrow at him, "You want me to try to kill you?"

He took a breath, "The imprints never asked what I wanted. I was made strong, made to fight, to find the strongest. Without a reason of my own, one fight is the same as any other. Might as well start with you."

She responded with a slight grin on her face, "I have a powerful ship, a strong crew, and a stronger left hook. Our enemies are many, and some are colossal. You'd make it stronger."

He warned Jane, "If your actions or choices are weak, I'll have to kill you."

The grin Shepard bore only grew, "Then, we have an accord."


	4. Picking up Slack

_**Illium, Nos Astra, Nos Astra Trade sector**_

An Asari in a weathered-looking gray dress and sandals called over to Jane, "Excuse me, Shepard?"

"We'll catch up with you later." Miranda gestured to the others, "Honestly, we could use some shore leave."

The Captain nodded to the woman and approached, "Yes?"

After closing her eyes, the Asari had a distant, quiet voice, "Shepard. Our song continues thanks to you. We will not forget. When you face _them_, we will be there. Together, our songs will break the sour, yellow note." With that, she blinked back to herself.

Jane began to ask, "Sour, yel-" Nodding, she stated instead, "If you see her again, tell her I wish her all the best."

"They are an amazing people with a truly sad history."

Shepard handed the Asari a credit chit, and left.

As soon as she entered the main trading floor, Shepard was waved at by another woman. This time a human that Jane recognized immediately, so she walked over to the offered seat, "Good to see you again." Recalling the woman's profession, she lowered her volume, "Giana?"

Parasini smiled, "Back from the dead, and I forgot my stand-alone camera." She gestured to get the attention of the Asari waitress, whom promptly walked over, "My friend here will have… an Old Fashioned."

As the Asari left their vicinity, Jane noted with a smirk, "I'm not sure I want to know how you know that."

Parasini smiled back at Shepard, "We have a mutual friend or two on the Citadel."

Jane relaxed against the back of her chair, "So…"

"How's it going? What's new with you? Blah, blah, blah. We've seen increases in intellectual property theft related to defensive technologies, regular espionage between smaller companies on cancelled projects." Giana Parasini looked directly into Jane Shepard's eyes, "There's a theory going around, and it scares the hell out of me, Jane."

The soldier nodded, "If it's what I think it is, nobody is ready for it."

When the drink was placed on the table for Shepard, Parasini offered the coaster she had been using, "I'll see you later. Don't forget your drink."

As Jane consumed her drink, she found the note.

She went over to the Serrice Technology booth where Hermia was employed, "Welcome to Serrice Tech. How may I help you?"

Shepard briefly skimmed over the terminal's offerings, "I'm outfitting a squad for a very hazardous mission." She kept the tiniest smirk hidden from the Asari attendant, "Is this the best Serrice has? Money is not an issue."

Hermia admitted, albeit quietly to Jane, "I have a set of schematics that, I'm told, are worth more than the freight."

Shepard hummed at that, signaling Giana Parasini to come over, "And you don't have the license for that!"

The Asari was angry upon hearing the newcomer's voice, "Parasini?! Damn you both! I'm calling my lawyer!" She quickly ran off.

Giana called as the other woman left, "Talk fast, Hermia! When fines hit, you won't be able to afford him!" She then said to Jane, "Thanks, Shepard. One less crook smuggling faked secrets."

Jane made a play at disappointment, "Aw. There you go, breaking my heart."

"What can I say? I love nailing Asari like her. So timelessly arrogant," Parasini said, shaking her head. "Take care of yourself, Shepard. And thanks for the assist."

"You're welcome."

* * *

Jane had found Justicar Samara throwing around another Asari in Eclipse armor. Her hand lifting her Phalanx pistol on instinct, Shepard was joined by Samara, both briefly hovering over cornered prey.

"Justicar Samara, I take it?"

"Captain Jane Shepard."

"Why this one?" Jane asked, pointing the weapon at the Eclipse Sister.

"Wait, Council Spectre _Shepard?_ Shit." The mercenary's complexion paled at the realization.

Samara told the prey, "Answer me, and my new friend here won't eviscerate you."

A growl and gnashed teeth response was met with one gunshot, severing the mercenary's right hand at the wrist.

After several moments of howling winding down to a whimper, Jane pointed her gun at the prey's feet, "Talk, or you lose more parts."

"She'll torture me in ways you can't. Hell no."

Shepard swiveled her eyes to Samara questioningly. Samara lifted a hand to halt the session, "She refuses to speak." At that, Jane holstered her weapon and stepped back.

* * *

_**Three days later, back on the Citadel, Barla Von's office**_

As the door opened, the financier sat behind an elevated desk waving to his first customer of the day, "Welc… Shepard! I was wondering when you would stop by."

Dressed in regulation Alliance blues again, Shepard strode over to the desk and accepted an offered chair, "Barla Von. It's great to see you again."

He commented, "A mutual acquaintance told me, two years ago, that you weren't actually dead. Your accounts are intact."

"Thank you. That actually answers my first questions."

He responsively retrieved a datapad from his side of the desk and slid it across to her, "This should answer the others." There was more than a tiny hint of positivity in his voice, "I did have a moment of weakness. You've been such a good client that I lowered my rates for you."

Looking up from the datapad, she smiled at him, "Then there will definitely be more business headed your way."

He nodded to her, likely smiling behind his pressurized helmet, "I look forward to it, Captain."

* * *

_**Citadel, Zakera Ward, C-Sec checkpoint office**_

Commander Bailey typing on his terminal called over to Shepard, "I see the problem, Captain. I'll take care of it."

Jane said to him, "Anonymity is useful for this assignment. Oddly enough."

He easily accepted her idea, "You're a goddamn bona-fide hero. There. I put a block in the system. Your I.D. will still work, but you'll be unlisted."

She nodded to Bailey, "Thanks" Gesturing to her Drell companion, Thane, Shepard asked, "My friend is looking for his son. He would have come to the Citadel within the last couple of months."

Bailey glimpsed up toward Thane, "We don't get many Drell on the entire station."


	5. Loose Ends

_Mass Effect, its characters, locations, and other references are property of__ Bioware/Electronic Arts  
Mass Effect created by _Preston Watamaniuk, Drew Karpyshyn and Casey Hudson_  
No money was exchanged for the creation or distribution of this work.  
__**Please support the official release.**_

* * *

_**The Citadel, Presidium, Human Embassy, Ambassador's Offices  
**_

While the young Asari secretary informed Councilor David Anderson of the arrival of his next appointment, Major Kaiden Alenko, wearing his regulation Alliance Officer uniform, greeted Councilor David Anderson with a salute. She promptly left the room.

Anderson returned the salute, "At ease, Major."

"Sir. I report no overt involvement. However, they are involved."

David nodded to Alenko, offering a seat at a nearby table, "No kidding."

Taking a seat, Kaiden said, "Seriously, she is in complete command of … the cell? If that's what to call it." Anderson nodded. "She does not take orders from them, but I got the distinct impression that everything that was going on was being recorded and evaluated."

Picking up a glass to pour each of them a glass of water, Anderson chuckled, "That's definitely Cerberus. If she's the one in charge, and they aren't interfering, I can't recommend or authorize actions against her. Besides…"

Accepting the glass and taking a drink, Alenko relaxed against his seat, "She does happen to be, yet again, the only one able and equipped to deal with another situation in the Terminus Systems."

David looked into his glass in agreement, "Yet again." After a drink himself, he looked to Kaiden again, "The Council and Earth are giving her all the lateral support we can."

Alenko spied a datapad with Captain Jane Shepard's mugshot in plain sight, "Is that…?"

Anderson sighed, reaching over to push the datapad over to Kaiden, "I suppose you do have clearance. Just be warned: that isn't just a service record. That is her Alliance dossier."

The Major was hesitant, "I… I don't know if I should…"

David set his glass on the plexiglass table with audible force, considering his words, "There's a massive war coming, Kaiden. We may not have this luxurious lifestyle for too long. And, if you end up having to work with her again…"

Kaiden got the hint and picked up the datapad, "Yes, sir."  
He skimmed through the records, "I didn't know she was a recruit trainee on Mindoir; let alone that we had a station there when the Batarians assaulted it for their slave trade."

Anderson added, "A materials research company had expanded into possible uses for biotics outside of military applications. You can guess their star pupil."

Alenko continued through the records, "...'saved fifteen students and two instructors when, while enraged, lit up her biotics and tore through two platoons of Batarian slaver mercenaries.' Hell of a sweet sixteen birthday present."

* * *

_**Illium, Nos Astra Commerce Floor  
**_  
After exiting the connecting hallway, Jane stopped her feet as she gazed left to the shop station of Gateway Personal Defense.

A raven-haired Human woman heard footsteps approaching and looked that way, "Shepard?!"

"Matsuo-san."

Maeko Matsuo grew a smirk and teased Jane, "I see you remembered."

Shepard smiled at her, "If I'm remembering right, we left off comparatively measuring our adventures."

Matsuo looked down at Jane's feet, skimming up to meet the Redhead's teasing gaze, "Dinner. Your place."

Jane looked at her omnitool and began searching, "Do I have a pl…"

Maeko smilingly grabbed Jane's right hand, "Your company has a building with a few apartments. It's nearby." As she lead Shepard over to the taxi station, "I've lived here over a year now. I guess I can show you around."

* * *

_**Omega, Carrd (mercantile) District**_

Jane in her gray combat armor walked up to the terminal at Harrot's Emporium. Looking over the entries, she commented to the Elcor shop owner, "Hello."

"Routine greeting. Hello, and welcome to my Emporium. If you have any questions, let me know."

She turned to face Harrot directly, "I know you have an arrangement with the Quarian shop owner."

His eyes darted back and forth, "Conciliatory. Arrangement?"

Shepard responsively said to him, "Release him from his obligation, and I won't come back to break your legs."

Harrot cleared his throat, "With barely contained terror. You drive a hard bargain, human. As a show of good faith, I offer a discount on my own wares." He then moved over to his VI terminal, composing a message.

When Jane arrived at Kenn's Salvage, the Quarian shop owner greeted her, "Hello there, welcome to…" Kenn looked her over, "Did you just talk to Harrot?"

Jane nodded, "He seemed eager to remain in one piece."

Kenn chuckled, "Well, thanks. Maybe now I can cobble enough credits together to get back to the fleet."

The Human asked, "Speaking of the Fleet. Have you heard anything lately?"

The Quarian shook his helmet-clad head, so Jane fiddled with her omnitool, then handed over a data chip, "Whatever's on your kiosk, make sure the profits are double. That way, you can bring back any extras you can think of."

* * *

_**Afterlife, main bar**_

As soon as Jane managed to get a table, a Batarian came over to her, "Come with me. Aria wants to talk with you." Shepard sighed, but got up and followed him.

Aria sat on her throne of a couch overlooking the bar, "Walking around Omega alone, again. Good thing your reputation for atomic responses is a known quantity."

Jane took a seat, even though it wasn't offered, "The few people that have fucked with me or pissed me off have all wound up either as stains on the floor, or as convicted felons behind bars." The only Human in the room turned her gaze towards the center of the bar, her eyes watching one of the Asari dancers collect a Human woman patron to dance with, "There's an Ardat-Yakshi here."

Aria nodded, "Nothing else leaves a corpse looking so lifeless. There are some apartments on this side of the Blue Suns projects. A human girl turned up dead the other day." The Queen took a glass of water from up behind her throne and drank, "Pretty thing. Her mother hasn't asked any of my people for justice. Almost no one would believe such a thing is possible, either."

"Thank you. That's the start I was looking for."

As Jane got up to leave, Aria said, "Watch your six, Shepard. It would be a shame to see another life-drained corpse."

* * *

_**Omega, Morinth's Apartment, three hours later**_

Jane quipped, "Dessert after wine? Are we skipping the dining part?"

Morinth slipped onto Shepard's lap to straddle the Human, "That's a very basic way to put it, yes." The Asari's eyes went black as she initiated an emotional link with Jane, "This _is_ what you want, after all."

Shepard, though linked, was still in control of herself, "...I was hoping.. candles… foreplay…"

Increasing the strength of their link, Morinth inquired, "We're both independent, driven women. Neither of us need safety."

As the haze flitted through her mind, Jane said, "Safety is… in the eye of the beholder."

Morinth brought her face close to Shepard's, "Who are you that you can still be clear headed?"

Jane slightly narrowed her eyes and whispered, "Shepard." Morinth blinked to break the connection, but was not fast enough to raise a biotic barrier. Shepard blasted the Asari against the wall where a pair of swords rested in a case.

The mind hunter picked up a sword as she got up, "You bottom-feeder! You don't have a weapon, let alone a chance!"

When Morinth tried to do a biotic jump to Jane, another biotic field caught her midair. Now captured prey, Morinth screamed, "Bitch! You would be here!"

Samara entered the apartment, a biotic field emanating from her outstretched hand, "You are my eldest, bravest daughter. Though you commit heinous acts, my love and pride does not waiver."

"You think you'll ever sleep well after I'm gone, Mother?!"

Shaking her head, the Justicar admitted, "It has been long since I did, being that which brought you into this world."

When a tear ran down Samara's face, Jane lifted her arm and ignited her own biotic field around Morinth. She said to the captive Asari, "May you find peace in death, that you could not find in life. Goodbye, Morinth."

Morinth's blood curdling screams couldn't stop the crushing death she was given.

A few moments later, Shepard went to the kitchenette for a couple glasses of water. Offering a half-full glass to Samara, the pair shotgunned their drinks before leaving.

* * *

_**Normandy Mess Hall, en route to local Relay to return to the Citadel  
**_

Jane Shepard comfortably read a physical book while eating a snack as Miranda Lawson approached and took a seat opposite her commanding officer. Miranda said, "You're the mission commander, but… you didn't consult me before you had the ship repainted in Alliance colors."

Jane put down her grilled chicken wrap and dabbed her mouth with a napkin, "Like you said, this is my mission. I view Cerberus branding as a liability." Shepard took a drink of her nutri-soda before continuing, "In order, Citadel Control, Ambassador Anderson, the Council, and Aria T'loak all commented about this appearing to be a Cerberus ship."

Miranda crossed her arms over her generous chest, "I hate to break it to you, but it is."

Shepard closed her book, "Mirnada. How will Cerberus handle a glactic invasion by an impossibly superior enemy?"

Lawson looked away, "That's not a fair assessment of our current situation, Captain."

Jane downed the rest of her nutri-soda and gently set the cup down, "If we only approach that invasion from what we knew yesterday, we're fucked." Shepard met her Executive Officer's eyes, "The Reapers consider us inferior in ways we can't even imagine. All this time before they invade is our time to train for a shitstorm of insanity. And we only get one chance."

Miranda tapped a few keys on the kiosk at the table, dispensing a nutri-soda for herself, which she shotgunned. "It's just… what's your justification for the repaint?"

Shepard smiled at that, "I'm hedging a bet with Joker: that this will be my ship in totality."

A laugh broke out from Miranda, "Ah, and I bet Garrus is in on it."

Jane extended figers individually, counting, "In no particular order: Garrus, Liara, Gabby, Ken, Joker, Tali, Mordin, Anderson, Aria, Kelly…"

Miranda's agape silence made Shepard chuckle.

Garrus' voice broke Miss Lawson's dumbfounded gaze, "This is rich. The last horse finally comes in."

Punching the kiosk's buttons for a huge nurti-soda, an exaspirated Miranda grabbed her drink and made for her room.

* * *

_**Later up in the Armory**_

Jacob Taylor said aloud, "Kasumi, I know you're in here. Decloak or I'll detonate a static pulse that will destroy your equipment."

The door leading to the Bridge opened, and Kasumi Goto briefly decloaked to wave at Jacob, "You're no fun. Later."

Wearing Alliance blues, Captain Shepard entered through the open door, "See you, Kasumi."

Jacob walked over to his fabrication table, "Here for some gunsmithing, ma'am?"

Jane shrugged, "Something like that. I'm ordering all uncustomized weapons reskinned to the Alliance designation N, drab grey digital camouflage. Make it the default when a new project is started."

Taylor saluted in response, "Yes, ma'am."

Shepard saluted and left.

* * *

_**Normandy Crew Deck, Executive Officer's Quarters**_

Jane strode into the office aiming for a chair at the window. Miranda took the other chair and said, "Captain?"

Shepard informed Lawson, "Because it will take care of a few things, I'm giving you a field comission of Commander in the Alliance Navy. At some point, you'll actually get an N7 rating."

"I can see this is important to you, but…"

"Having an official command structure abord will keep Alliance Command off my back."

Before Miranda could interject, Jane said, "Meaning they won't assign anyone."

Lawson looked out the window as the stars began to streak, indicating FTL speeds of the Relay, "Well, shit. Guess I better look the part at the Citadel."

Shepard smilingly mused to Miranda, "We might have to make up a uniform service medal for this mission."

* * *

_**Citadel, Zakera Ward, Markets, Level 28**_

Garrus Vikarian looked over the terminal at Sirta Foundation, "When did the Foundation start sharing a booth with a Human company?"

Jane Shepard gestured to the Sirta Foundation Asari employee, and said to the Turian, "When my company bought a section of stalls outright and offered a stall gratis to the Foundation."

The Asari bowed to Shepard, "The Foundation expresses our eternal gratitude."

Jane admitted, "Nth Industries armors and upgrades arms almost galaxy-wide, while the Foundation's work benifits everyone from the Destiny Ascension to the newest colonies, and everyone inbetween."

Garrus glimpsed to the Asari, "An improved dextro Medigel? When did that release?"

She answered him, "That's our newest product, and our first collaboration with Nth Industries. It's been out for three weeks and three days. This forumulation has a fifteen percent faster rate of wound closure. New versions of all our medigels have been announced for the next few months."

Tali either recognized a fellow Quarian or read the broadcasted ID, "Lia'Vael. I take it you haven't heard from the Fleet recently."

A Human male C-SEC officer interrupted, "This Quarian is under official investigation. Move along."

N7 armor glinting in the random lighting, Captain Jane Shepard crossed her arms, "Citadel Council Spectre Shepard. What's going on here?" She let her arms rest at her sides, waiting for the C-SEC officer.

After he visibly swallowed, he indicated Lia, "She supposedly took a credit chit belonging to this Volus, while they were both at the used ship dealer."

Jane looked over the trio, "Hold your opinions until I get back, and don't leave this spot." She said to the Human officer, "Ten minutes. I'll have a word with the shops. I will be back."

Four minutes later, Shepard returned and said to the Volus, "You left your credit chit at Saronis Applications. The manager is holding it for you." When he started making another suggestion to the C-SEC officer, Jane pointed in the direction of the shop, "Get going, or I'll have you in holding for a few days for a falsified report."

After the Volus left, Jane ordered the Officer, "Delete the case. Spectre authority."

He remained grumpy, "Alright, but I'm going to make a note." He told Lia, "Get something for an apartment, or I'll run you in for vagrancy."

Shepard smirked at him, "Delete that note. She'll be off the station later today." At that, he left with a groan.

Lia looked at Tali and Jane, 'Um, thanks, I guess. But how am I supposed to leave when I'm so broke I can barely afford nutrient paste?"

With a full grin, Jane handed a credit chit to Lia, "Because you're going _home._ Let's get you something to take with."

A message in Quarian script rapidly ran across Lia's helmet. Jane could only tell that it had come from Tali. With the realization of the end of the Geth war, Lia turned into a child in a candy store for the whole shopping trip.

* * *

_**Citadel, Alliance Docks**_

As a small freighter zipped out from the atmosphere containment shield, Tali said to Jane, "That was a hell of a lot more than a simple kindness you've done. I hope we'll see her again."

Turning back towards the elevator, Shepard said, "There might have been a few extra things thrown in after she picked out what she wanted."

Tali shook her helmet side to side, "What did Nth and Sirta have this time?"

Jane toothily grinned in response, "Yes."

With a groan, Tali uttered, "Keelah..."


	6. A Riposte by Any Other Name

_**Mass Effect, its characters, locations, and other references are property of Bioware/Electronic Arts**_

_**Mass Effect created by Preston Watamaniuk, Drew Karpyshyn and Casey Hudson**_

**No money was exchanged for the creation or distribution of this work.**

**Please support the official release.**

* * *

_**Normandy Command Deck, Conference Room, QEC call with The Illusive Man**_

"What do you have for us?" Captain Shepard asked.

"We intercepted a distress call from a Turian flotilla. They claim to have crippled a Collector vessel, but not before they were decimated."

Shepard wondered, "Which flotilla?"

The Illusive Man was not forthcoming, "The important thing here is that we have the advantage. Let's not forget, the Collectors have taken tens of thousands of Human colonists."

Jane flatly told him, "Don't lie to me in an attempt at motivation. You know this is a trap as much as I do."

His holographic effigy remained unaffected, "I've already forwarded the coordinates to your pilot. Good hunting, Shepard."

As the point-to-point system shut down and brought back the normal lighting, Shepard turned to exit, "EDI, shut off all wireless transceivers. Ship-wide."

* * *

_**Normandy Command Deck, Galaxy Map**_

Jane tapped a button on the console to signal attention in every room of the ship, "All hands, this is Shepard. Joker, head for the assignment. EDI, when we are one half-hour from the final Relay, notify everyone to rig for total stealth. The internal wireless network is offline, and all external communications will remain inactive until this sortie is over. That is all."

Shepard looked up at one of the cameras she knew was always recording and said aloud, "I resent being lied to."

Kelly Chambers said aloud, "I'm gonna go get a nutri-cola, or maybe a nutri-coffee. Yeah." With that, she wandered off.

Meanwhile, Jane gathered her squadmates into the Conference room, "He didn't believe the message he discovered was real, either. That's what I'm angry about."

Mordin noted, "Lied to us. To you. To ensure operation would happen."

Jacob Taylor said to Shepard, "I expect he has a reason. Everything he does is calculated. Just like any advertisement by a corporation."

Garrus spoke, "A businessman trying to fight a war."

Zaeed grunted in Miranda's general direction, "No wonder Cerberus operations tend to go sideways faster than expected." When everyone looked in his direction, the Consummate Mercenary clarified, "He knows how to be covert, but he didn't totally memorize Sun Tzu's Art of War."

Captain Shepard exhaled, "So. We're approaching our target vehicle like a hole in space. We watch everything about it. I don't care if it's a pre-eminant particle of matter. Make note of anything you find."

Kasumi brought up the images of the Collector vessel, "This has got to be a trap. I'd bet a fortune the Normandy and all of us are their target. Obviously, they may not know we're here until our hands are in their pockets."

Jane hit a button on her omnitool, "Joker. Decelerate to five hundred kph. Let's try not to alert the predator."

"I copy."

The assembled members began sifting through what little could be gleaned with only passive detection methods. Zaeed spoke first, "They think they have a plan. Capture whoever goes in, then what? Cripple the ship and take over?"

Shepard asked Jacob, "Are the new turrets running?"

He nodded, "Their spread of fire is finer than we predicted. It may be possible to adapt them to lay down a wall of projectiles against fighters. Gabby and Ken already replaced the personnel cannons on the shuttles, Ma'am."

Looking over the few places on the massive vessel to bring in a shuttle, Shepard picked out one that seemed to indicate a path further inside, "Garrus will follow along cloaked, while Jack, Miranda, and myself will go in." Jane looked at those assembled as she called out names, "Zaeed, Samara, and Grunt will hold the landing site. Everyone else, keep your eyes peeled. We'll all be linked via our micro QEC units."

* * *

_**Collector Vessel, the Chasm**_

Miranda and Jack caught up to Jane Shepard, as she took in the expansive inner chamber of the Collector vessel, "Holy shit."

Lawson stared off into the abyss, "They could take every Human in the Terminus Systems, all half a billion of them, and not make a dent."

EDI noted, "I calculate at least twenty billion pods lining the surfaces I can see."

When the squad arrived at a command terminal, Jane looked over the controls and chuckled.

Miranda flatly asked, "What's so damn funny?"

"Someone knew we would have to look over this interface, but they didn't account for anyone being able to read Prothean writing."

Observing various camera feeds in the Normandy, Tali remained skeptical, "I have a hard time believing they would be that stupid. This could be intentional."

Under her helmet, Captain Shepard held a grin, "That's rich. They expected we would have to link our ship's computer to theirs to mine data. There's a reference here to a QEC protocol and an EMP device."

EDI predicted, "To disable the ship physically and functionally."

Jack walked up to stand beside Jane, "So where do these fuckers call home?"

After she flipped through several screens, Shepard said, "There's reference to an IFF for the Relay network. Ah, EDI, these are trajectory calculations. Use the Omega-4 Relay as a point of origin."

"Interesting. I project a point near the galactic core."

Zaeed alerted the team, "Eyes up! You have some unfriendlies coming."

* * *

_**About one half-hour later, trying to exit the Collector vessel**_

Between biotic explosions and gunfire, Captain Shepard asked, "Zaeed? Sit-rep."

Samara answered, "We're reenacting one of your zombie survival games. Repelling a horde with excessive firepower."

Anyone paying attention could hear the grin Zaeed had, "These Gatling guns were a goddamn good idea."

"I see the wall of gunfire. We're about to exit at that tunnel."

"Roger that," the mercenary said.

Joker warned, "That massive ship is coming online, guys. Time to go!"

Jack blasted a hole through the corner, leading the squad back to the shuttle.

The Normandy ripped across the larger ship's hull, escaping along the axis of the engines and avoiding possibly taking fire from the main weapon.

* * *

_**Normandy Command Deck, Conference Room**_

The holographic Illusive Man sat on a holographic chair smoking a holographic cigarette, "What did you discover?"

Shepard took a long drink from a huge water bottle before answering, "We'll need a Reaper transponder. Telemetry from the Collector ship indicated it triggers the Omega-4 Relay to use a more accurate protocol for deceleration… at the galactic core." She brought up the holographic image for him to see, "My team agrees that a safe zone must exist at the Relay there, but without an ultra-high precision decel at the other end, well…"

"Indeed," he said, putting out his cigarette. "I see you had EDI disable the wireless network, even while you were over in the other vessel."

Shepard nodded, "We used a network of Micro-QEC devices. It turns out that the Collectors were not expecting that level of data security when they planned this trap. EDI has been instrumental with our analysis of all the footage of our trek." She took another _gulp_ from her huge water bottle, "In about four hours, we'll be hitting the Relays back to the Citadel."

"Shepard. I'm sorry I doubted you." He seemed honest enough, "I was concerned that if anyone listened in on our conversation, you could have been intercepted." When Jane didn't answer him, he actually apologized, "I'm sorry I lied to you. Yes, I knew the distress signal wasn't actually sent by the Turians, but the Collectors instead."

Jane finally accepted his apology, "Thank you." She didn't let him retreat yet, "You understand if I still don't trust you. Cerberus' reputation is pretty far from honorable."

"This organization gets things done. Public relations be damned. You wouldn't be walking and talking if it wasn't for Cerberus."

"You and Miranda brought me back to answer a question nobody else is qualified to ask. Tell me, if I wasn't walking and talking, how would Cerberus unite a galaxy to overcome the threat of the Reapers' galactic annihilation?"

T.I.M. retrieved another cigarette from a thin metallic case hidden in his suit jacket pocket, "Conveniently enough, you _are_ here. We don't have to play out hypotheticals."

After lighting his new cigarette and taking a long, thoughtful pull from it, Captain Shepard derailed his train of misdirection, "You've seen me play Shogi, Chess, and an Asari game I can't remember how to pronounce?"

Exhaling the cloud of smoke, T.I.M. nodded.

"Then you know I won't talk strategy." Jane went over to a small terminal beside the door to the conference room to get herself a nutri-bar, "Cerberus, though, always remains ethically ambiguous. Your operations always get a bit sloppy. All for the sake of getting things done as fast as possible, and hopefully without leaving a trace."

He pointed his cigarette at Shepard, "An interesting observation, at the least. I would counter by pointing out that you're amongst the living, again."

"In the end, I almost wasn't." She grabbed the nutri-bar, but didn't open it, "Miranda's assistant. He was a ticking time bomb. I bet you called it a, "calculated risk.""

A notification sphere _beeped_ a blue pulse of light into existence on the armrest of T.I.M.'s chair, "Shepard, I do need to take this call. I would be amenable to continuing this conversation at our mutually earliest convenience."

Jane nodded in agreement and the room began returning to its normal look. She began consuming sustenance while making for her cabin for a needed shower.

* * *

_**Citadel, Alliance Docks, Normandy, docking ramp**_

With an annoyed tone, Miranda asked Garrus, "I hope you're done calibrating that shiny, new, untested cannon?"

"I don't think C-SEC would appreciate us test firing that thing so close to civilization," Garrus quipped.

Jack commented as she walked, specifically passing close to Lawson, "Good idea. Switch teams for the mission, Commander Cheerleader!"

Miranda crossed her arms over her Alliance blue jumpsuit before heading on into the station.

While the squad and crew went on in for shore leave, Jane had gone to the end of the dock arm to take in the sight of the Citadel.

After a few moments, Kelly Chambers stepped up beside her, "Beautiful, if a bit sad."

Shepard guessed about Kelly's word choice, "The Reapers?"

Chambers nodded, "I know this galaxy is full of resilient people…"

"Well. Either we'll overcome the Reapers, or our efforts will be a bunch of smoking ruins for the next cycle to wonder about."

Definitely done with staring off into the sea of ships and stars, Kelly gathered Jane's left arm and lead her towards the elevators, "In that case, I need a drink."

Shepard teased, "I'm guessing the tab is all mine?"

Chambers teased back, playing her part perfectly, "Thanks, Captain. That's so nice of you!"


End file.
